For One Last Time
by Veredith
Summary: When everything comes to an end, and life slowly slips away, will you remember us? We, who stood at the very beginning; we, who shaped your world - will you remember us? Will you remember our stories and our struggles and all our adventures? Will you remember how we came together once more? Will you?


**(A/N: So I did a thing. I hope you enjoy the thing.)**

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 _ **Once upon a time, long ago - before the Candy Kingdom stood tall and our heroes were born, there were three. They stood together, at the very beginning, and they cared for each other as a family would. But they weren't family, and their happiness didn't last very long.**_ _ **The eldest of the three had a crown, you see, and that would be the relic that will save their world. But the crown drove him mad until he could no longer remember his own name.**_

 _ **And then there were two.**_

 _ **The second was a wonderful person; pretty and smart and so, so ambitious. She helped the third recover from her grief, and they fell in love. But the second was ambitious, and she dreamt of creating creatures that would help them fill the world so they weren't so alone. So the third would have someone to accompany her when she wasn't there. But then she created so many and they hailed her as their ruler and then, suddenly, she had a heavy burden on her shoulders. So she apologized and left the third to rule her new-found kingdom, knowing that would be the last time they would meet on good terms.**_

 _ **And then there was one.**_

 _ **Her name was Marceline, and those two were the only ones she had left. So when the first went mad, she wept and grieved; helped along by the other one. And then she left and it was like she stabbed her with a knife. The betrayal hurt and she was alone once more.**_

 _ **So she left and retreated from the world for centuries.**_

 __ **(And no-one will remember them.)**

* * *

It's a quiet night – one that spoke of introspection. The silence was nice – tranquil and soothing. She felt her muscles relax and hummed, pleased with the cool breeze that accompanied her. She sighed as her legs dangled over the roof's edge, her icy hands warmed by the coffee mug she was cradling. Her guitar sat beside her – always in sight, always within reach. She took a sip from her mug, eyes staring unseeingly into the distance as her voice rang out.

"I can see you both."

Two figures emerged from within the cover of darkness, and the Ice King laughed awkwardly, giving her a sheepish smile. His crown sat unbalanced upon his head; as though holding on for dear life. His robes were a complete mess and he himself looked dangerously out of breath.

"Oops. Looks like we got caught, princess."

His voice was strange. She could never get used to his voice, even after more than a hundred years. It wasn't that smooth, gentle voice she used to hear from him as a little girl. It was scratchy now; raw. Like he hasn't spoken in a long time. It grated on her ears – _especially_ when he sang. Still, it calmed her. This was Simon, after all; even if he wasn't quite the same anymore.

Her gaze shifted onto the girl beside him, raising an eyebrow upon seeing Bubblegum. The pink-haired woman stood straight-backed and proud, looking at her almost defiantly. She snorted and smile thinly, never moving from her bird's-eye view on the rooftop.

"Simon, I expected – he bothers me almost every month. But what are _you_ doing here, Bonnibel?"

The princess pursed her lips at how brusque she sounded when she said her name, and sighed.

"Thought I'd apologize. I mean, I've done and said a lot of dumb things to you and I just – I'm sorry."

"Why now?"

"Because it's time to say goodbye."

Marceline stayed silent, staring blankly into her mug.

"I – why don't you come up? Both of you; it's a nice night to stargaze."

The Ice King flew up, wordlessly carrying Bubblegum with him. They took a seat – one on each side, and they sat in silence for a minute longer.

"So…Goodbye, huh?"

"The Ice King had a vision and rushed to tell me about it. It – he's right. The vision's real."

"A comet – or was it a meteor? Whatever it is, it's heading straight for us and it isn't stopping anytime soon. That's what the crown said, before it let me go."

"Let you -…"

She looked at him, really looked at him, and froze. Bubblegum immediately caught the mug before it fell and break into tiny shards, smiling apologetically at her.

"You're back, Simon?"

"I'm back."

"It let you go?"

"It can't do anything to stop it. It's too late. So it let me go, because it's going to die along with us."

She said nothing, because she knew he was right. She could feel it in the air – the way it weaved around as though sighing in resignation, the way the earth was dangerously cold beneath her feet, the way the water seemed to flow oh-so-very slowly. The world's tired, and so are they.

"Okay. It's okay. I'm sorry too, I guess."

"Wha-?"

"I forgive you, Bonnie. So stay here, okay? With us – like old times."

Bubblegum stayed quiet, surprise evident on her face.

"You aren't going to leave, Marcy?"

"No. Not today – not again."

Simon started talking, telling them about all of the crazy things he did as Ice King and they laughed, Bubblegum laying her head onto Marcelline's shoulders.

Suddenly, somehow, she felt like a little kid again – like the last time they were together and happy.

* * *

 _"Hello – oh no. Please, don't be scared. I'm Simon, what's your name?"_

 _"…I'm Marcy."_

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 _"You're really pretty!"_

 _The pink-haired girl smiled shyly at her, red dusting her cheeks._

 _"Thank you. You're really pretty too. I'm Bonnibel."_

 _"My name's Marcy. Why are you alone, Bonnie?"_

 _"Oh – I – I've always been alone."_

 _"Oh."_

 _There was an awkward pause, and then she gave her a bright smile._

 _"You can come with me, then! Come on, Simon's looking for me."_

 _"Who's Simon-?"_

 _"Marcy!"_

 _Simon rounded off the corner, panting as he made his way toward her._

 _"Marcy, you shouldn't run off like that – oh hello. Who's this?"_

 _"That's Bonnibel. I'm going to marry her when we grow up."_

 _Simon sputtered, and Bubblegum turned even pinker, flailing her arms wildly. Marcelline laughed and dragged them away._

 _"Come on!"_

* * *

 **A flash of light, and Ooo was no more.**


End file.
